Access Sacramento‘s community radio station KUBU 96.5 FM today turns three years old, and announces the availability of a free mobile app, making it easier than ever to listen to the station on phones and other mobile devices.

The “KUBU 96.5FM” app allows easy listening to the radio shows created by public access community producers on KUBU 96.5 FM, “The Voice of Sacramento.”

“K-U-B-U is the only station where You can Be-You on the radio,” said Don Henkle, Access Sacramento’s Board of Directors’ Chairman. “We’re so excited all of the shows created by our volunteer radio producers can now be heard so easily no matter where listeners might be.”

The free app is available for iPhones from the Apple App Store and for Android phones and other mobile devices from the Google Play Store.

“Best of all, you will be able to easily hear the station anywhere you have internet connectivity,” said Shane Carpenter, KUBU Radio Programming Director. “In addition to being able to hear it on the radio in your car, when you leave the coverage area, you will be able to hear it without interruption.”

KUBU is a low-power FM radio station broadcasting in the Sacramento midtown area since the station’s jump to over-the-air radio Nov. 13, 2014 as an extension of the cable-audio broadcasts from Access Sacramento since 1987. To listen to KUBU on your computer, push HERE.

“What better time to release this new app than on KUBU’s three-year over-the-air birthday,” said Gary Martin, Access Sacramento Executive Director. “We’re still streaming from the AccessSacramento.org website for computers, but now it’ll be just a button-push to hear the station on the new app.”

More information about KUBU will be added into the app over the months ahead, including a daily program schedule and profiles of the local program producers.

Access Sacramento’s KUBU has 72 regular community programs with more than 100-hours of original non-commercial programming every week. Programming includes a wide variety of music, interview, public affairs and religious shows, plus broadcasts of regularly scheduled meetings of the Sacramento City Council, Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and the Sacramento Metropolitan Cable Television Commission.

Access Sacramento provides training to members who want to create their own radio and television shows. Radio classes are two-hours each on four consecutive Tuesdays, starting on the first Tuesday of the month.

For more information about Access Sacramento or KUBU, call 916-456-8600.

[Note: the Apple version of the KUBU app is only available when connected to the App Store by iPhone or iPad and is not visible in the App Store for computers.]

Access Sacramento is a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation with primary funding from the Sacramento Metropolitan Cable Television Commission.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently taking comments about whether the current rules for Low-Power FM (LPFM) stations like Access Sacramento’s KUBU 96.5 FM should be changed to allow stations to increase their transmission power from 100 to 250 watts.

It’s easy to comment and support this increase. A web comment form is available from the FCC by pushing the following link and commenting on Item RM-11749. Comment HERE.

The last day to comment is Monday, June 15.

Under current rules, LPFM stations like KUBU 96.5 FM are limited in power output to 100 watts. Full powered FM stations in our area are 25 to 250 times more powerful.

EXPANDED REACH

For Access Sacramento‘s “The Voice of Sacramento” KUBU, a power increase would expand the service area from within five miles of the downtown Sacramento core (ranging from South Natomas to Florin Road and West Sacramento to Arden-Arcade, Sacramento State and Oak Park) into North Natomas, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Wilton and Elk Grove.

Comments do not have to be long, but a significant amount of comment encourages the FCC that it is on the right track and that staff time and commission attention should be spent working on this issue. Please comment today.

Writer/Director Thuy Pham’s film “Two Pods and a Pea” won two specialty awards at the event, taking honors for the “Audience Favorite” and “Producers’ Choice.”

The 10 films were created during the summer after 10 winning writers were selected in a triple-juried script competition early in the year. After Access Sacramento’s Cast and Crew Call in May, the writers turned into producers and created their films with the help of volunteer actors and crew.

The Film Festival with comments from the filmmakers and news from Access Sacramento will be broadcast at Access Sacramento in several weeks. Later, the films will be featured on this website and also from AccessSacramento. org

All of the filmmakers were able to share their thanks from The Crest Theatre stage during the 15th Annual “A Place Called Sacramento” Film Festival.

All of the writers commented from the stage, thanking their many supporters, and encouraging other local filmmakers to continue writing and working to get their stories turned into real movies.

Access Sacramento sponsors the competition annually as a way to encourage local film production, and to provide a creative way for Sacramento-based stories to have a permanent archive. Over the 15 years, Access Sacramento has help in the creation of 149 local films.

For the last eight years, the co-organizer for “A Place Called Sacramento” has been Michelle Barbaria, Access Sacramento Live Wire! Producer and Office Manager. Barbaria was thanked from the stage for her years of service after announcing she had taken a new opportunity out of state. Executive Director Gary Martin presented her with a thank you award and wished her every success for the future.

Audience Voting by text was a first for the 2014 “A Place Called Sacramento” Film Festival

As another first from the 2014 “A Place Called Sacramento,” the audience was able to vote by using their phones to text in their choice. The special opportunity was sponsored by the new acting website SacCasting.com as an added benefit to Festival attendees.

Benefits from the Film Festival support Access Sacramento projects including the Neighborhood News youth training program and the start up of a new low-power FM radio station, Access Sacramento’s KUBU 96.5 FM in November.

The 16h Annual Place Called Sacramento’s call for Scripts and the supporting classes in writing and production that support beginning filmmakers will be announced in January, 2015.